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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chair · fall · nail · kick · mate · file · cabinet · deal

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. fall — to drop
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kick — in football
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. mate — a partner
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. mate — a friend
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. chair — a leader
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. mate — to breed
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. fall — the season
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. deal — to handle

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com